Thank You For The Confinement, Grand Duke! - Chapter 68.2

To make him fall in love with her.

And now, having entered Chaperil’s body and given my heart to Enfrise, I was unable to respond to Tambor’s words.

* * *

I couldn’t sleep.

I had dinner with Enfrise and engaged in light chatter, seemingly forgetting all about the conversation with Tambor.

But now that night had fallen and I was alone, those thoughts returned.

I missed Frii. If Frii were here, it would’ve come over, curiously tilted its head and made that cute ‘Ppi?’ sound while looking at my face.

“…Ha.”

In the end, I sat up.

Still, there was nothing to do. I didn’t even feel like doing anything. I just wanted to burst this frustrating feeling inside me. Should I go out and yell? If I did, he would probably rush over in surprise.

“…Is Enfrise asleep?”

He always wakes up early for morning training, so he must be sleeping by now.

…Oh?

Does that mean I could see his sleeping face if I went to his room now?

“I don’t know… that feels a bit odd…”

But then again, Enfrise has seen my sleeping face several times, right? He even kissed me to help bring down my fever.

So, it should be okay for me to see his sleeping face, too.

Hmm.

Since I couldn’t sleep anyway, I thought, If Enfrise is awake, we can chat, and if he’s asleep, I can just take a quick look at his sleeping face. Thinking this way made me feel a little better.

I got out of bed and slipped on my slippers. I debated taking the candlestick with me but decided it might be a bit awkward if I ran into Tambor, so I left it behind. Carefully opening the door without making a sound, I stepped into the dark hallway, which greeted me with deep shadows.

Well, the only person likely to be wandering around at this hour was Tambor, so there wasn’t much need for lights. A single candle would have been enough to guide me.

Still, in this world without electric lights, the moon and stars shone quite brightly. Even now, the pale moonlight streaming in through the window faintly illuminated the objects around me. I pressed myself against the wall of the hallway, taking slow, cautious steps.

“….”

With autumn approaching, there were no sounds of insects. I wondered if there were no crickets here. I’d always found their chirping quite enjoyable.

Sometimes, I would play an audiobook softly on my phone and open the window wide to listen to the sound of crickets. During those nights, when the heat still lingered a bit, I’d sit there, sipping cold barley tea filled with ice, letting time pass by lazily.

Those were some of the few precious moments of relaxation in my daily life, and they still linger in my memory.

When the season of insect chirping arrives in autumn, should I go out at night with Enfrise? We could lay a mat in the forest and gaze up at the unusually clear and starry autumn sky.

It would be nice to share stories while listening to the sounds of the insects…

‘Ah, I want to see Enfrise soon.’

Lost in those thoughts, I suddenly let out a small, mocking laugh.

“When did I become so weak?”

I had no allies…

I had even pushed away the allies I once had. I didn’t realize how precious they were and chose to avoid conflict instead. So, I always had to accomplish everything on my own—studies, exercise, household chores. If I didn’t do something properly, I wouldn’t receive guidance, only sharp reprimands or sarcastic remarks. It had always been normal for me to handle things alone, and yet, here I was, so changed.

I couldn’t even control my emotions. I found myself walking toward Enfrise’s room in the middle of the night. What if he wakes up?

I thought, but my feet didn’t stop moving.

Because I knew he wouldn’t be angry with me.

Even if Enfrise woke up in a daze, he would still accept me. After gathering his senses, he would kindly ask what was wrong, and when I replied, he would surely hug me and pat my back.

An absolute ally.

I never realized there could be someone who would stand by me no matter what I did. I didn’t know that this kind of support could make a person feel so vulnerable.

I thought of myself as a more independent person.

“What changed me…”

It was this narrow paradise.

In this narrow paradise, I had become a spoiled child and grown much weaker… but I didn’t want to go back to how things were before. I didn’t want to return to the time when I had to force myself to be strong. What was so wrong with showing weakness? I’m human, too. There are times when I feel emotionally shaken and moments when I feel down. Sometimes, I just want to vent my frustrations or act like a child.

But back then, there was no one to accept me as I was, so I had to endure.

And now, not only do I have this narrow paradise, but I also have…

You, who gave me that paradise.

Enfrise.

“…I want to see you soon.”

I muttered that to myself as I quickened my pace.